Simferopol - The Capital of Crimea and Home of the Obelisk Monument

Simferopol is the capital city of Crimea and is situated in the southern parts of Ukraine. The capital is a wonderful city to visit and there are many sights and tourist attractions for one to visit. The temperature here is relatively warm and dry throughout the year with no extreme weather conditions to watch out for.

One of the sights you must definitely go visit is a monument called the Obelisk. It was one of the first monuments ever to be installed in Simferopol and was built in honor of Vasily Dolgoruky, a general in the army. Dolgoruky's grandson installed this eighteen-meter high obelisk in 1842 in recognition for all his grandfather's efforts during the Russian and Turkish war.

If you appreciate beautiful architecture, then the railway station is another place you should put down on your itinerary. It is rated as one of the most stunning buildings in the whole of the city and has unusual architectural features that are unique to the USSR. The railway station was built during Stalin's reign at a time when public buildings were built for beauty and not just for practicality.

Another interesting building is the Tatar mosque, which was first built in 1502 in white chalkstone. Interestingly, chalkstone is not the building material that is normally used to construct mosques in this region. The Tatar mosque was in ruins up until 1993 when a project to reconstruct it went underway producing a fully functioning building. The Russian Orthodox Cathedral is another attraction and is one of the main churches in Simferopol.

There are many interesting restaurants and cafes in the city center that provide varying dishes, both local and foreign. If you are looking for quick service then you may want to avoid the restaurants, as they are notorious for taking a long time to prepare meals. If time is not an issue and you are feeling rich then visit Chistiye Prudi, one of the two top restaurants in Simferopol. The prices may be more than what you are use to paying, but you can be assured that the food is out of this world and the service is a dream. You will have to make reservations at Chistiye Prudi as it is a very popular wedding venue and many of the local officials and businessmen in Simferopol come and dine here.

There are many more reasons as to why you should include the city of Simferopol to your "must do" list when you come visit Ukraine, so come and discover them.